Watching Out For You
by FlamingAshes
Summary: What does every red-headed Shadowhunter need in the morning? A cup of coffee. But sometimes it can take some work to get it. One-shot.


**I'm sorry it's been so long since I've written. I had a month-long vacation and camps. My school isn't back in yet, but I promised myself to finally finish this before I had to go back. So here it is! Reviews are appreciated.**

 **Disclaimer: I own my dog, not the world of Shadowhunters, which belongs to Cassandra Clare. But I love both.**

The steam floated off the mug of creamy mahogany-colored liquid Clary held in her hands. She brought it up to her nose, inhaling the rich and familiar aroma of morning coffee. Shuffling across the floor, she took a place at the table, scooting her chair out a bit to give herself room. The window showed her the Saturday morning sky that was tinged with streaks of yellow and orange, with clouds that you could trust to catch you if you fell. Everyone else in the Institute was out cold after the demon attacks they'd dealt with the night before. There was probably still demon blood all over the Pandemonium Club, but the Shadowhunters could've cared less. All of them were exhausted and had gone straight to bed. Clary included, but lately, she'd been waking up much earlier. She'd practically had to pry Jace's arms off her to get out of bed. He had mumbled incoherent words but hadn't stirred.

Smiling, she raised her mug to her lips, waiting for the sensation of the hearty drink to fill her with warmth and energy. Instead, she felt the mug being pulled out of her hands. She was too shocked to react, allowing the thief to take away her drink. Some of the coffee splashed over the edge of the mug, making its slow descent down the side. Glaring, she stared at her coffee bandit. Jace held the cup far away from Clary as if the drink was toxic. He had obviously just hopped out of bed, judging by his hair, which still suffered a serious case of bedhead, and his old t-shirt and sweats.

"What are you doing?", Clary exclaimed irately. To say she was angry was an understatement. She needed coffee more than usual lately and to have the mug she had so tediously filled with the perfect combination of sweet cream and sugar yanked out of her hands was in no way helping her mood. She stared icily her jade eyes at Jace's in a heated flare. He returned it with a tsking sound and an exaggerated shake of his head.

"Clary, Clary, Clary. At least one of us did our reading. Good thing too, or else you could be in severe pain." He chastised, making his way to the sink. He was about to dump her masterpiece down the sink, but Clary acted as a barricade so he couldn't dispose of it.

"What in the name of Raziel do you think you're doing with my coffee?" Clary asked indignantly. As Jace tried to move around her, she moved into his path. No matter how hard he tried, Clary always managed to get in the way of him and the sink. Finally, Jace came to a standstill and Clary stood in front of him. Hands on her hips and her green eyes flashing with anger, Jace wasn't sure if facing a pack of demon or talking to Clary would inflict the least amount of pain on him. Jace sighed, knowing there was no way he could get rid of the drink without Clary demanding an explanation. And even when she received it, her stubborn nature and yearning for coffee would be against him and his reasonableness.

 _She wouldn't call it reasonableness,_ he thought to himself. _She'd call it overprotective and precarious._

Maybe he was being the _slightest_ bit overprotective, but could you blame him? He had to look out for them (especially at this time in their lives) whether the enemy was a blood-thirsty demon or a cup of espresso.

"Clary, do you really not see the problem here?" He asked, despite the irritation he knew Clary would feel at being talked to like a child.

As predicted, her facial features grew even harder and she spat out, "Maybe if you would just tell me what this problem is instead of trying to dump out my coffee, I would be a little easier for you to handle."

Jace sighed. He took her hand and led her to the barstools at the kitchen counter and they both sat. Jace set the coffee away from Clary's reach, and she eyed it warily. Jace reached into the back pocket of his sweats and pulled out a book. He held it up for Clary to see. Clary's face filled with recognition. Jocelyn had given it to Jace after they had broken the news to everyone. The next day, she had stopped by the Institute at about 6:30 in the morning with the book still in the Barnes and Noble bag, handed it to him to a sleepy-looking Jace and left without a word. Clary told him she was still recovering from the shock of the news, but Jace wasn't sure if the shock was supposed to go on for three months. Clary's eyes lit up as she realized why he had the book.

"Jace, you haven't actually been reading this, have you?" She asked, wanting to laugh. "She only gave this to you because she was taking extreme precautions. We don't really need any of this information." She tried to take the book of his hands, but he held it out of reach. His fingers quickly flicked to one of many bookmarked pages. He opened the book and began to read.

"'While pregnant, women can enjoy coffee and tea, but must watch the quantity of caffeine, for too much can increase the risk of miscarriage.'" Jace looked up to gauge her reaction. Clary reached for the book again and this time, Jace let her have her have it. She scanned the page until she found the section he had been reading.

"'The National Health Service recommends two cups of coffee at maximum or 200 mg of caffeine'" Clary finished. "Jace, I don't usually drink more than two cups of coffee a day. Is this why you wouldn't let me have my coffee?" She asked.

"Well, of course. Why else would I take it away from you? To make a newspaper hat out of?" He asked as if it was obvious.

"Jace, that was my first cup today! So can I please have it back?" She asked crossly. Jace handed her the cup and she finally took a sip of her coffee, which she now felt was well-deserved.

Jace crossed his arms over his chest and said firmly, "Well, you can't have more than that per day." Clary grew furious again.

"Why? The book says two is the maximum, not one. You don't need to be so overprotective." _There it was. That word._ Jace didn't believe he was being overprotective at all. He was just watching out for the three of them. He put one of his hands under her chin and raised her eyes to meet his. She put down her coffee and green and gold collided.

"It's just… We fight demons and monsters every day. We come home bloody and injured but always make it out alive, because we are tough enough to do it. But this little guy," He put his hand over Clary's stomach and began to rub soft circles, his eyes never leaving hers as he did, "Or girl, just isn't strong enough to do any of that. He or she is too delicate right now. And I can't imagine losing him or her to something as simple as coffee." Clary's eyes filled with tears, which she quickly blinked away before Jace could see. _Damn hormones._

"Jace, it's okay. We aren't going to lose this little guy," She said, putting her hand on top of his, stilling his motions on her stomach. "Because he's got the two of us to protect him," Clary said, a soft smile forming on her lips. Jace grinned, and their lips meet in a gentle kiss. Clary pulled away after a moment. "But can I please have coffee in the mornings? I won't have any more than two cups." Jace debated quietly, then smirked.

"Maybe if you kiss me again I'll reconsider." They both smiled and leaned in. As lips grew impatient and hands wandered, the copy of _Pregnancy for Dummies_ clattered to the floor.

 **Did anyone catch on that Clary was pregnant before it was announced? Was it easy or hard? Review! Until next time!**

 **-FlamingAshes**


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